


All There Was to Offer

by rebecca (blueraccoon)



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-07-13
Updated: 2004-07-13
Packaged: 2019-04-29 10:09:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14470383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueraccoon/pseuds/rebecca
Summary: Inara has a new client. (AU, pre-Serenity)





	All There Was to Offer

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Firefly’s Glow](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Firefly%27s_Glow), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Firefly's Glow collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/fireflysglow/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Written for the Simon Tam ficathon (http://www.livejournal.com/users/virtualinsomnia/81397.html). Thanks to Skrip for cheering me on and helping me find a title.

  
Author's notes: Written for the Simon Tam ficathon (http://www.livejournal.com/users/virtualinsomnia/81397.html). Thanks to Skrip for cheering me on and helping me find a title.  


* * *

All There Was to Offer

## All There Was to Offer

She made one last circuit of the room, plumping pillows and smoothing nonexistent wrinkles out of fabric. The large carved wood bed stood against the wall, draped in sheer gauze and sensuous covers. She checked the clock and nodded to herself--just enough time to prepare tea. 

As she heated water and spooned tea leaves into the pot, her mind ran over the details of her latest client. There weren't many: he was a doctor, young, from Osiris. More than that, she didn't really know. For that matter, she wasn't entirely sure why he'd made an appointment with her--or why she'd agreed to take him on as a client. Her roster was full as it was; she really didn't have space for another. 

And yet--there had been something in his eyes, aching and lonely behind the masks of civilization and politeness. 

Inara smiled wryly and measured out sugar. She knew why she'd taken the young doctor as a client. It had nothing to do with spiritual compatibility and everything to do with curiosity. 

What had drawn a successful trauma surgeon from his home to seek out a Companion on Sihnon? It wasn't exactly as though Osiris had no Companions of its own, after all. 

As she put away the extra sugar and set the tray down, the door chimed softly. Inara took one brief moment to smooth her hair back before she crossed over to open it. 

"Doctor Tam," she said warmly, holding out her hands. "So nice to meet you." 

"Companion Serra." He kissed her cheeks in formal fashion and stepped back, clasping his hands behind his back. Inara smiled and gestured him into her rooms. 

Without being asked, he took a seat on the low couch, taking his suit jacket off and setting it to the side. Inara seated herself opposite him and poured tea. "Sugar or cream?" she inquired. 

"Neither, please." The young doctor accepted the porcelain cup she handed him and inhaled the scent appreciatively. "Oolong?" he asked, taking a sip. 

Inara smiled and raised her cup in a toast. "You have a keen nose, Doctor Tam," she said in admiration. 

"It's my favorite. And--please, call me Simon. I hear Doctor Tam and I look around for the nearest nurse." Simon smiled a little and Inara was struck momentarily by his beauty. Not classically handsome, no--there was something a little too soft, a little too delicate about his features. But beautiful in a masculine sense, yes. 

Briefly, she allowed herself to imagine the body under the starched clothes. But only briefly. That would come later. 

"I have to confess to a certain amount of curiosity, Simon," she said, relaxing against the couch. "We don't normally see citizens of Osiris here." 

"Yes, I know--there are a few Companion houses in the main city. But..." Simon sighed. "Companions keep confidentiality, but not everyone else does. And I didn't want it getting back to...certain parties...that I had seen one." He looked into his teacup pensively. "There's a surgical conference this week on Sihnon. I made arrangements to attend, and..." He shrugged. "I'm sure you can fill in the rest." 

"Mm." Inara nodded; it did make sense. She decided not to press for more answers just yet; she wanted him to relax first. So..."Have you had any time for relaxation on Sihnon? The theatres are lovely and there are several good shows on right now." 

"No, I haven't," Simon admitted. "I do enjoy the theatre, but--" His polite smile wobbled. "My sister was always more interested than I, and without her company it's just not the same." 

Inara frowned mentally. There had been nothing in his file about a family tragedy, but--"Did something--" 

"No, no," Simon interrupted hastily. "She just--she left for this school a few months ago. It's a special school, extremely exclusive--she'll be able to learn and study so much there. We're all thrilled for her. But...well, she and I have always been extremely close, and it's hard to be separated." He took another sip of tea and sighed. "I miss her a great deal," he said softly. 

"It can be very hard to be separated from the ones you love," Inara said sympathetically. "How long will she be gone?" 

"Four years, depending on her course of study." Simon told her. "By which point--" he shrugged. "I'm finishing up my residency now. I've no idea where I'll be by the time she comes home." 

"Mmm." Inara sipped her tea. "Still, siblings as close as you two will undoubtedly find ways to see each other." 

"Yes. At least, I hope so." Simon's smile wobbled a little. "Four years is a ways off. Who knows what can happen in that length of time?" 

Simon's mood was shifting rapidly to melancholy, and Inara decided not to let him continue the downward spiral. She rose to her feet, knowing Simon would stand as well. "Today is for relaxation and comfort," she said, taking his hands. "Not for sorrowful thoughts on what may never be. Will you accept what I may offer?" 

His hands tightened slightly around hers and his eyes lightened almost imperceptibly. "It would be my honor," he murmured, raising her hand to his lips. 

She led him to the bed, draped in soft satins and velvets, and brushed her fingers down his cheek. 

"Beautiful lady," Simon said softly. He turned his face into her caress, breathing a kiss over her hand. 

He wanted seduction. She felt it in his body language, saw it in his eyes. He wanted her to seduce him, to coax him into bed. 

So she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him briefly. She deepened the embrace gently, teasing him with soft kisses and feathery caresses to the back of his neck before pulling him down on the bed. "Lie back," she said. "Lie back and let me pleasure you." 

He smiled and lay back against the pillows. "This time," he said lightly. 

Inara laughed and bent to kiss him again. "All right. This time." 

Her hair trailed over his skin as she undressed him, peeling him out of the crisp clothes one layer at a time. His skin was smooth under her fingers, save for the faint trail of hair that led from his navel down to his groin, but his muscles were tense and she saw that he wasn't sure what to do or how to react to her. 

Inara crawled up over him to stretch out against his body, rubbing her cheek against his chest. Her tongue flicked out over his nipple and he sighed with pleasure. He was still tenser than she liked, but at least he was responding to her. 

So she just had to get him to relax. Fortunately for him, she'd been expecting that. 

She raised herself up on her knees, straddling him, and peeled her dress off over her head. Desire flared in Simon's eyes when he saw her body and he reached out to touch her, but she smiled and pressed his wrists back against the pillows. "I told you to lie back," she scolded lightly. 

The little bottle of oil was easy to reach and the scent of jasmine filled the air as she opened it. She poured a bit into her palm and rubbed it over her hands, slicking them generously. 

"What is that?" Simon asked curiously. 

Inara ran her hands down his chest, the oil making his skin glisten. "Close your eyes," she said instead. "Just close your eyes and relax." 

She wasn't surprised to see him do as she bid. 

The soothers in the oil would work their way into his skin, relaxing his muscles and by extension the rest of him. Meanwhile, the scent would arouse him further. It was a combination she'd used fairly often for tense or shy clients. 

And as she'd thought, it worked perfectly on Simon. By the time she was done rubbing the oil into his body, he was flushed and fully hard, his cock nudging against her bottom. "How do you feel?" she asked softly. 

He swallowed hard. "I--I--" Simon shook his head. "I want you," he whispered. 

She briefly weighed the idea of making him wait, but decided against it. They had enough time for another, slower round, and this was the time to give him what he wanted. 

Not necessarily what he needed. 

She shifted position and took him inside her, one slow inch at a time. He gasped when he was fully sheathed inside her body; Inara was hard-pressed to hold back her own moan. 

Simon reached up for her, his hands cupping her breasts. "I need to touch you," he said breathlessly. "I need--" 

Inara arched her back and began to move on him. "I know what you need," she murmured. "I know..." 

She rode him easily at first, rocking her hips in an age-old rhythm until he pleaded for more and his hands slid from her breasts to her hips, pulling her down on top of him harder and faster. She leaned forward to kiss him, braced her arms on either side of his head for balance. 

"Yes--oh, God, yes--" Simon's fingers dug into her ass and his head fell back. "I--oh--" 

She wasn't going to come this time around, but he wasn't paying her for _her_ orgasms. Besides, she had a feeling he'd make it up to her later. 

"Oh God, oh God--" Simon gasped and pulled her down on him. "God!" He went limp under her, breathing hard. 

Inara gave him a little while to recover before climbing off him and getting a damp cloth to clean them both off. 

As she'd thought, the second time around was gentle and slow but no less intense. She let Simon take control and was mildly surprised at his ability to bring her pleasure. Then again, doctors knew their way around the human body. 

She came twice before he did; once from his hand, once from his mouth. By the time they finished, she was limp and sated, lying next to him in the big luxurious bed. "Thank you," she said softly, stroking his hair. 

"Thank _you_ ," Simon responded. He caught her hand and kissed the palm. 

"So what do you plan to do now, Simon?" Inara turned onto her side and propped herself up on an elbow, regarding him thoughtfully. 

"I don't know. I have some vacation time after I finish my residency--maybe I'll travel a bit. River and I always spoke of seeing different planets..." Simon smiled a little. "Depending on job offers, perhaps I'll end up on Sihnon." 

"That would be lovely." Inara meant it, to her surprise. "I would like to see you again." 

"As would I." Simon kissed her lips before sliding out of bed. "But now I must take my leave." 

Inara wrapped a silk robe around herself as he dressed. "If you do come back to Sihnon, please give me a wave." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck to you, Simon." 

"And to you." Simon bowed slightly and left, the door closing silently after him. 

After he left, Inara began to clean up, putting soiled sheets and cloths down the laundry chute and straightening other items. But a gleam of orange stopped her and she went to look out the window, seeing a glorious sunset over the horizon. 

She wondered how many sunsets she'd missed, how many sunrises she'd spent sleeping off a night's work. How many beautiful days she'd spent in her rooms or in her clients'. She'd lived on Sihnon all her life, had spent years in the capital city, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd gone swimming in one of its pools or had taken a day to wander along its walking trails. 

Simon had spoken so wistfully of his sister and the opportunities she had been given. Inara wondered if there were opportunities out there for her, just waiting for her to claim them. 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title:   **All There Was to Offer**   
Author:   **rebecca**   [website]   
Details:   **Standalone**  |  **NC-17**  |  **10k**  |  **07/13/04**   
Characters:  Inara, Simon   
Pairings:  Simon/Inara   
Summary:  Inara has a new client. (AU, pre-Serenity)   
Notes:  Written for the Simon Tam ficathon (http://www.livejournal.com/users/virtualinsomnia/81397.html). Thanks to Skrip for cheering me on and helping me find a title.   
  



End file.
